Llinllin Las Juntas

We are often asked how we get connected with the communities that receive an Agua Viva International water purification system, which is always accompanied by our health and hygiene education program.  Frequently, this connection is made by building partnerships over an extended period of time.  Llinllin, a community of 600 farmers and ranchers, is an excellent example of the types of partnerships that Agua Viva seeks to develop in all of the countries we operate in.  A young man named Hugo began working for Agua Viva in 2019 as a translator for a project in Galte, Ecuador.  While this project was ongoing, Hugo had an opportunity to introduce his boss, Martha, to Agua Viva.  Hugo and Martha work for Med Life Movement, a Non-Governmental Organization that provides medical services to remote communities in Ecuador.  Martha had just worked with leadership in a nearby community, Llinllin, to pipe running water directly into people’s homes and a community building.  While this was an improvement, their main water source was still unpurified water from cisterns higher up the mountains.  While in Galte, the Agua Viva team visited Llinllin to meet the leaders who worked with Martha to develop a new partnership.  This partnership was developed over many years, including through the pandemic, thanks to the hard work from Mario, our in-country coordinator, who completed the Water Issues Survey in November 2022 and signed a covenant in July 2023. 

The Llinllin installation and health and hygiene education program was performed by US volunteers along with our seasoned in-country team. The community provided community leaders to receive the health and hygiene education who then used that training to teach the community. At the same time, designated community leaders assisted in the construction of the water purification system and received training on the operation and maintenance of the system. The system was installed, and the education program presented, in a community building that included a large meeting room, a small tienda (market) and the lower floor is a cheese production facility! The highlight for the US Volunteers was the hospitality and fellowship of both our in-country team and the community which included a traditional meal at the celebration and we were treated to several dances performed by the kids.